The Witch's Request, a Halloween Poem

A black cat sits upon the windowsill
In a long abandoned house
Peering out at two nervous passers by

Their cautious steps are indicative
Of the dread they feel this night
As they head to the town's lone graveyard

They had been the unlucky ones
They'd drawn the two short straws
And now must fulfill the final wish of the late Miss Ivy Spearwood

She'd died last spring of what none could say
They'd found her, only 30 years old, with a smile
Emblazoned on her tender features.

The foul grimoires and hideous charms
That were found in her residence
Made her craft all but obvious

Yet it was the one note written in blood
That led the two unfortunate souls
Out to the graveyard tonight

It demanded her ashes be placed
'Neath a certain long dead tree in the middle of the graveyard
On Halloween at the stroke of midnight

The town was unanimous in agreement that this last dark wish be honored
For certainly a curse upon all would ensue
Should the fell request be neglected

So as the darkness blanketed the sleepy town
Two figures huddled beneath a leafless symbol
Of the residents of the underground necropolis

An unseasonably warm wind blew
As the bells marked the hour of eleven
And they took it as the darkest of omens

"Let's just dump the ashes now
No one will know
And it will get us out of here before God knows what befalls us."

Momentarily suprised at his partner's suggestion
He weighs the words carefully
Desperately wanting to leave but unsure of the wisdom of the plan

The screeching of some foul animal nearby
Removes all doubt
Of the need to depart in haste

The ashes are dumped quickly and without ceremony
And the two unfortunates dash stealthily
From their unwanted post

Back at their home they raise a toast
To the completion of their unholy task
It's been over an hour now and all seems well

But the midnight bells tolled late this evening
As the bellringer had twisted his ankle
Ascending the dark staircase to the belfry

So when the delayed chimes rang
A certain tree came to life
Along with dead who fed its roots